The Bridges We Burn
by LibraMoon
Summary: "No one finds their true mate at five, and loses them at six." Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics. Rated M for later things. FEM!Izukux Tokoyami in the beginning and FEM!IzukuxBakugou main pairing. Read at your own risk.
1. Chapter 1

**Author claims no rights to Hero Academia or any affiliated licenses. Just so we are clear.**

 **Mind purge. Had to write this.**

 **Warnings! Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics. True Mate arc. GenderBent!Izukux Bakugo. Starting Fem!IzukuxTokoyami Because the fanart makes my heart melt inside.**

OoOoOo

" _Had_ a mate," she corrected him, automatically.

Tokoyami fell silent.

Her eyes speared him, watching him without any sort of judgment. Which, somehow, made it more terrible. A thousand questions flittered across his thoughts, and he quickly cast all of them aside. It was not his place to open her wound. Presumably, it would not be something that she wished to discuss.

However, she seemed to sense his internal conflict. Izuku gestured to her mate bite, something he was both grateful for and mortified by.

"No one meets their one true mate at five," she said casually as if it were merely a fact, "and loses them at six."

Tokoyami said nothing, his beak downturned, and they both knew that if he were capable of it, he'd be frowning.

"Well," Izuku amended nearly lightly, "Only me."

It was one of the times, that the user of 'Dark shadow' wished he hadn't opened his mouth. That he had not allowed his curiosity to overtake him in a moment of carefree whimsy, or perhaps to congratulate the Omega. After all, he'd never even known she was mated. Never known she was in fact an Omega, until tonight. The Beta male shifted uncomfortably, but did his best to hide the sudden awkwardness he felt about it.

"It's okay," Midoriya said in that same tone that managed to invoke feelings of clam acceptance whenever she spoke. As it always had, since she praised his quirk so highly.

" _I don't think he's a tool!" She said sincerely, watching as Dark Shadow lifted Uraraka upward toward the top of the steep, rocky, chasm. "He can always help you! How cool!"_

Perhaps it had been that moment. That exact moment when her eyes had appeared to twinkle in awe of something that Tokoyami had taken for granted? Was that the moment he had secretly fallen for such a kind girl. A girl that had now turned into a woman. If he were capable of blushing, he would have been. His dark eyes latched onto the world-worn sight of Izuku Midoriya, the new 'Symbol of Hope' as she rubbed at the back of her neck.

She'd never complained about it. She'd never said a word before, and something in Tokoyami twitched at the thought. Her extreme burden. He wasn't certain what had happened, but his wisdom and experience told him it was not good. Of that, there could be no doubt.

He chuffed slightly in the back of his throat, a very bird-like mannerism that had accompanied him since his quirk first manifested.

"My sincerest apologies," he said in a calm and collected tone.

"It's fine." She reassured him, once more. "I've grown quite used to it."

The statement broke his heart.

Though it did not show on his face, Tokoyami drew closer toward the Omega, offering his shoulder in support. Surprise lit her features, and her impossibly green eyes stared at him a moment. A soft laugh escaped her, and he could scent the slight relief from her. It... pleased him... to help her in any way possible.

"Forgive me for prying," he said softly, the burning need to know would not subside. It was perhaps even a tad cruel of him to ask, but he simply had to.

Izuku blinked, gently touching her forehead to his shoulder. A sign of trust from an Omega that nearly had Tokoyami preening, and incredibly flustered at the same time. She lifted her head once more, her gaze unflinching as she met his. Tokoyami felt out of place. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but they would not leave his mouth. He mentally willed himself to push forward. The need to know would not abate until she answered him.

"How did your mate...," he paused searching for the least offensive words. "Pass?"

Izuku stilled, her head lowered slightly to the side, as did her eyes. The instant heady smell of remorse, sadness, and distress hit his senses.

"I am sorr-"

"He didn't die," she said quietly. So quietly that Tokoyami nearly failed to hear her.

His avian-human eyes swiveled toward her. He scarcely drew breath. She could not be implying that...?

A large smile stretched across her lips, and Tokoyami swallowed in reflex. It was that smile. The one she greeted the villains with. The one that banished away the darkness. The one that held firmly in place no matter how badly she was hurt.

The Beta male had to check the urge to rub his head along her neck. To comfort her with his musk, and take the mask away. She did not have to be strong in front of him. He would hold them both up. He could do it. Would do it. Gladly.

The silence loomed between them, and Tokoyami could hardly bare it. Her green gaze met his once more, and she continued to smile. That smile.

"He _didn't_ die," she repeated, in a normal tone now. "I was abandoned."

Tokoyami's world spun around on its axis and it was almost like watching a glass vase smash on the floor. The slowness of the way his hands moved, and reached for her. Clasping her arms as he felt the slight tremble in her frame.

What?

What foul, loathsome, and _incredible stupid_ male could have possibly abandoned Izuku Midoryia?

Whom?

It didn't matter now, as his heart bled for her, and she showed no sign of tears. Nary a trace. If it were possible, he fell even more for her in this moment. The Beta male knew what happened to abandoned Omegas. How they were looked down upon society. Not for being an Omega, but for failing their mate in some way. For losing their pack, and place.

"Was he-?"

She did not pretend to misunderstand him in the slightest.

"Yes," she admitted to him and the wind, as she buried her face into his neck. She inhaled greedily, finding comfort in him, and Tokoyami felt his chest constrict in warm affection.

"He was my Alpha."

"Forget him," he murmured in her hair, stroking he back lightly. His beak picked slightly at the strands of her hair. He was grooming her, showing the depth of his willingness to take Izuku Midoryia as his own. Judging by the soft acceptance of her body language, and the slightly sweet scent of her... she was receptive to the idea.

"He was your Alpha, but I will be your Beta."

She drew back, watching him intently for a moment, but Tokoyami had never been a cruel or unkind man. Nor did he bare the reputation of a liar.

Her throat worked, swallowing and she seemed suddenly nervous, as if she couldn't comprehend what he was saying. Though, Tokoyami could understand. She'd been abandoned so young. Her mate mark would have made many veer away from her, subconsciously or not. Had they known. Also, the fact that when her quirk was active, she screamed 'Alpha' would have been a further detriment for finding a more dominant partner.

She licked her lips, blinking at him, and then looking away.

"B-beta." Izuku repeated, testing the term on her lips.

Nothing had made his heart sing more.

"If you will have me?" He questioned, shyly, trying not to allow his own insecurity with the sudden tenderness to show.

Midoriya, the female he'd been watching from the distance since high school, blushed prettily. Her head tilted, tentatively, as if she were feeling him out.

"Yes, _Beta_."

The words were soft and gentle. He felt his instincts rear to the forefront. And there, on a rooftop overlooking the city against a sunset backdrop, he rubbed his head upon hers. Their scents intermingled, in the first stage of courtship.

OoOoOo

He saw _it._

 _Saw it._

The latest fight against a very strong villain, ended as they all did lately. With that damn, fucking, Deku smiling widely into a camera lens. Not that she was looking at the camera, that fucking Alpha Bitch just had to involuntarily steal his spot light. How was he supposed to beat her and be the number one hero when she pulled that stupid face of hers?

It was irritating and distracting. It made his blood heat up in an instant. And it never failed to set his temper off. Never.

However, as the final blow was delivered, the stupid fucker managed to grab at the collar of Deku's costume. The fabric ripped, and gave way. As it was designed to do. After all, heroes got into tricky situations all the time. The last thing they needed was to be strangled by their costumes.

The explosive Alpha growled lowly at the screen, causing Mineta to jump away from him. The ridiculous purple pervert was his tag along today. Well, it wasn't exactly true. They had been called for disaster relief, and Mineta just happened to have a quirk that had been imperative in rescuing 47 people. Not that Bakugou was going to praise the little shit-stick for it. Hell no.

"Whaa?!" Mineta cried out, turning to look in all directions. "What is it?"

"Pipe down, you fucking porno-addicted pipsqueak!" Bakugou roared, living up to his usual demeanor.

"I told you that in confidence!" The shorter of the two yowled to the sky, trying to avoid the suddenly concerned faces of the Betas and Omegas passing by them. "He's lying."

"I am fucking not, you little-"

The rant that had begun, came to an abrupt halt as his crimson gaze caught sight of it. The moment the close up happened of Deku's stupid damn face. There, at the bottom of the screen. The right side, The thin silvery lines of-

The Alpha froze, no longer paying any attention to Mineta's screams of denial about his pervert status. Bakugou simply tuned it all out, as he stared. A long fought against feeling welled to the surface, before he mercilessly pushed it down once more.

No.

No, it wasn't possible.

The Alpha's gaze narrowed at the screen, just before it flashed to the reporter spewing some garbage about... something. Likely the scene she was at. However, his brain could not stop flashing that damn bite mark. He blinked, and could still see it behind his closed eyes. Deku was an Alpha. Alpha's couldn't fucking be marked! He did not notice the sheer amount of deadly rage he was emitting, until another Hero clapped him on the shoulder.

"Easy there."

Kamui Woods, now a seasoned hero in his own rights, and the one responsible for this sector stared down at him from behind his wooden mask.

Katsuki barely even flinched, as his crimson gaze did not quite see the other Alpha. He... he...

That fucking Deku!

He wanted to howl. To rage. To attack and be brutal. To fight until he could no longer move. As was an Alpha's way of dealing with shock. Or at least, it was his Alpha way of dealing with shock.

It was a very good thing that he'd taken his suppressants earlier. No kidding. The only reason that person's car was not total ash was because he'd taken the suppressants.

Alpha's couldn't be marked, but that shitty Deku had always smelled like an Alpha.

The image trudged through his mind, worn, and nearly forgotten, like an old photograph. It caused his skin to itch. It also made him remember part of his fury with Izuku Midoriya. She'd lied to him. She'd pretended not to have a fucking quirk-

But, she'd... she'd... also been _different_ before the quirk-

When they were kids, and she'd trailed after him like a damn duck. Everywhere he'd gone, she'd gone. Even when he had turned a bit... mean... toward her. When they'd been so young, that he could scarcely remember-

 _"I'll make you mine!" The young boy declared loudly, with all the boasting and confidence of a young Alpha. Well, when he presented he would be. His Father and Mother had both said so. Katsuki Bakugou was a very strong-willed child._

 _The girl, fucking Deku, blinked up at him in awe. Her small hands fisted in her dress, before relaxing._

 _"Okay!" She agreed happily, her eyes started to leak with tears. Bakugou sneered a bit._

 _"Quit cryin'!" He demanded, wiping away her tears with a grumpy look. "You're mine now."_

 _She smiled then, blushing softly. "Yeah! I wanna be with Kaa-chan forever."_

 _His chest swelled with pride, a pride he didn't understand. Something about this little weakling made him... feel... funny._

Crimson eyes blinked. His face took on a vaguely horrified expression. The memory hit him with the force of a sledgehammer. He couldn't collect all the pieces, but the message was pretty damn clear.

He'd bitten Izuku. He'd bitten that shitty ass Deku when they were children. Katsuki couldn't even remember how old they'd been! But, then...

 _"You're quirkless!" He growled with disgust. Bakugou didn't understand why being quirkless was bad. He only knew that it was because no one liked being quirkless. He couldn't be mated to someone without a quirk!_

 _In his six-year-old mind, it was the worst thing imaginable._

 _Her eyes were filled with tears that poured over round cheeks, spilling onto the floor carelessly. Her green gaze pleaded with him._

 _"Bu-but Kaa-chan, we're true mates! You said-"_

 _"Forget what I said!" He shouted, pushing her down. Panic flared inside of him, and his anger could not be controlled._

 _She cried out, sniffling pitifully._

 _"I don't want a mate like you!"_

His head began to hurt. The Explosion King, fearless on the battlefield, and rumored to be rather vicious in all things, could do nothing more than move his gaze from the wood quirk hero and toward the screen on the city square once more.

...mate?

That simply could not be.

It _couldn't._

It wasn't that he hated Deku. He honestly didn't. He'd gotten so used to picking on her, that he had never stopped to question 'why'. Beyond being quirkless. That had been enough. Well that and because…. Well, because…

Because Deku was a friggin' _Alpha_. He'd smelled her during battle enough. He knew she bore the scent of his kind, but something tickled at the back of his thoughts. It started to itch, as if his brain were trying to scratch a theory into awareness. It tingled slightly.

Why hadn't she fought him then, when they were kids? Or when they were teens? Why had she always bowed to him, with very few exceptions? Why had she smiled at him, that day, when they graduated? Why had she told him that he was 'impressive'? He'd thought she was looking down on him, but-

But... what if?

What if she'd worn his mark all these years? No, she had worn it all these years. Deku, Izuku Midoriya, had kept his scar. Proof of their mate-ship. Proof that she belonged to him.

Mineta's voice interrupted his train of thought.

"I'm tellin' ya, something is wrong with him! He's spacing out, and insinuating all these weird things." Mineta looked around at the crowd milling about, watching the heroes. "I am not a pervert."

Clearly, no one believed him, judging by the looks on their faces.

OoOoOo

He doesn't sleep that night. Or the next.

Why hadn't she told him? Why did Deku never come to him? Instinct should have demanded she come to him.

Katsuki downs suppressants like they are freaking tic-tacs, just to keep from barging after that shitty-Deku and demanding an explanation. She had to have a reason! If the stupid thoughts he was entertaining were true, she owed him an explanation of why she'd never said anything. Maybe he wasn't the most even-tempered Alpha, but he'd have taken care of her.

He wasn't very adept in this feeling based bullshit, it was difficult for him. However, he was excellent at the biological side of things.

In his heart of hearts, he knew it was actually true. Even at his worst, if she had come to him. Called him 'Alpha', and begged him to scent her things. He _would_ have done it. He'd of brought her some things for her nesting. He'd have made certain to give his protection from other Alphas.

Stupid Deku! He would have seen her through her heats-

His heart shuddered in his chest.

If he, her Alpha, hadn't been seeing her through her heats... who had been?

What, fucking dead, some of a bitch (or daughter of a bastard), had touched what was his?

The explosion that shook his home, alerted him to two things. One, he needed a new bed. And, Two, he was aware of his possessiveness toward Midoriya. Deku. If someone had said something forty-eight hours ago; he'd have broken their legs while laughing merrily.

He was not laughing now.

It made a discomforting amount of sense now, why all of his 'relationships' hadn't made it past a few hasty couplings. Why Bakugou had always been left feeling strangely dissatisfied and slightly hollow. It was an Alpha's nature to claim, yet those claimings meant nothing to him then and they meant nothing now. It also gave new light as to why he couldn't stop picking on her in school. Why his attention had been riveted to her every day.

The thin silver scar, flashed before his thoughts. It was scarcely visible. Why wouldn't it be? He'd given it to her when they were young, and he'd never re-scarred it during mating as he was supposed to. It should be a prominent mark, one that other Alpha's and Beta's could see from a freaking block away. That thought soothed the savage side of him that was threatening to break loose. Izuku should have been wearing his mark for all to see.

She was his.

He hadn't seen it before because of the freaking school uniforms, and then her costume. It was not revealing like some of the other women. His... what? His Beta? His Omega?

A bolt of heat pulsed through his loins at the thought of her as an Omega. Needy, and ready for him. Her green eyes begging him to do anything he wanted to her. Bakugou reached for the suppressants again, his charred bed smoldered behind him. He'd worry about it later.

The other females had never mentioned...

Then again, the female Alpha's had often seemed to leave Izuku with a wide berth of room. He could feel his temper rise again, chasing away the lust from before. How had he not seen it? He'd been young and forgotten, sure, but how in all these years could she not tell him? Maybe she'd forgotten too. Yeah. Maybe.

Fuck!

He got the fire extinguisher out from his closet, and hosed his bed down. He'd buy a new one while he was out. But, he had to see her, and by hell or high-water she was going to see him.

He was her _Alpha._

And, he knew it now.

OoOoOo

The moment, the exact fucking second, he sees her, it hits him like a punch to the gut.

The blonde hero doesn't pause in his steps as he inhales deeply. His crimson gaze was locked onto her with an intensity never seen outside of combat. His palms begin to sweat, when he notices that other Alphas are present. They smell like a threat, and it sets him on edge.

Izuku.

"Oi!" He calls out sharply. "Deku!"

She smiles, that amused smile that is slightly crooked, and her scent carries toward him. It wraps around the room and him like a vise that refuses to let go. The gentle scent of something so achingly familiar, so close but so far away, and yearning for a place. She smells of battle and passion, of sweet mint and cardamom.

His eyes flash as it curls around his senses, and what he's long since denied on a primal level can no longer be ignored.

She smells of _'mine_ '. Of 'Omega'.

Crimson eyes held the emerald gaze of the female Hero, refusing to look away for even a moment.

She tilts her head, delicately scenting the air, at his strange behavior. He knows that she perhaps slightly understands, when her eyes widen in disbelief.

It was then, that the bitter scent of Beta wafted through his nostrils. It would have been benign, except it was on his Deku.

 _His._

And by the end of the night, everyone was damn well going to know it. Izuku included.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author claims no rights to Hero Academia or any affiliated licenses. You lovelies all know the drill by now. :D**

 **Warnings! Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics. True Mate arc. GenderBent!Izukux Bakugo. Starting Fem!IzukuxTokoyami Because the fanart makes my heart melt inside.**

OoOoOo

He can only watch, eyes narrowed in crimson flame, as his Omega turned toward the young male at her side.

"Asui, would you be so kind as to go and get me the latest reports."

"Yes, Ma'am," the frog-like boys responded with a slight bow of his head. The Explosion King recognized him in an instant. He must be Froppy's brother. She'd mentioned him in passing, being at their alma-mater high school, U.A. His dark eyes and seemingly kind disposition were so much like his sister, that it was easy to tell who he was.

Well, that and the frog appearance. And, judging by the watery scent of aged lily, the boy was also an Omega. The scent of which whispered to Katsuki that he was far from a competitor for Deku.

He knows exactly what she is doing, as her green eyes caught and held his. She was the first to glance away, but waited patiently until Asui had managed to leave the room. They were still far from alone. The milling scents of the others in the room still had him on edge. After all, most them were Alphas. And, Alphas were not exactly known for getting along.

"Explosion King," she replied, a little too reserved for his tastes.

It made his hackles rise even more, as his palms began to sweat. It was an instinctive reaction, to ready his quirk in case there was need of it. Facing _her,_ his Omega, did not call for such a measure. However, the same could not be said for the other heroes blatantly watching them. Though he understood they were there, his gaze refused to budge from the green-eyed woman in front of him.

She did not come closer, his second nature noticed right away. Much to his displeasure. Well, that was just to fucking bad, then. He had questions and something told him that Izuku sure as hell, had answers.

Her gaze flickered up to his, and there was a coolness in her expression as her scent became less noticeable. As if she had the gall to hide form him again? As if he would let her? Bakugou snorted at the very idea.

He drew himself up to his full height, crimson orbs peered down at her with all his intensity. A thousand things were communicated between them, going so quickly that Katsuki was hardly aware of even more than a moment or two passing.

He watched as she drew a breath, held it, and straightened just as he had.

She wasn't going to back down. Oddly enough, that pleased him. He grinned then, a savage sort of smile. That forced several of the Betas to back up. Their confusion and unease released a veritable sea of nervousness. The other Alpha's were already shifting, moving with whispers of fabric, and clinking of solid-suit parts, to form a wall in front of the Betas.

The only other Omega was out of the room. And, from the lack of protective instinct toward his mate, they did not know what Izuku was. He could hardly fucking blame them. He hadn't realized it until a few days ago. He had charred and chemical coated bed that needed to be replaced, for his epiphany.

"I want a word with you." He said, his voice thicker and deeper than it normally was. An Alpha's way of signaling the other secondary genders to listen.

Had he not been watching her so closely, he would have missed the way her fingers shook slightly. Deku blinked at him, her expression bloomed with a smile.

"Sure," she said brightly. A touch too brightly. He could tell that she was forcing the cheerfulness.

"Are you thirsty? We can go grab a drink from the lobby."

She was leading him away. Katsuki wasn't stupid, and he understood her ploy. However, he did not mind, because he wanted to speak with her in private anyway. Their dirty laundry didn't need to be aired in front of all these fuckers. And, when he did rub his scent over her, he was going to completely erase whatever Beta fuck-nugget, had thought they could have her.

Deku was _his._

 _Only_ his.

Her words were meant to soothe, but they only riled him up further. He wished he had brought a few more suppressants, but he knew his liver was going to pay the price soon, if he did not slow down.

Yet, it had the desired effect on everyone else. The Alphas eased their stiff positions instantly, and. the Betas began chattering away again.

There was a subtle tilt of her head, not an Omega surrendering to an Alpha. Not by any stretch of the imagination, but the surge of possessiveness seemed to tighten around his heart. It was a tilt that asked him to follow her.

His crimson eyes stared a hole into her back, as his footsteps echoed after hers.

OoOoOo

Izuku knew trouble when it came knocking. And, unfortunately, she knew Bakugou's knock all too well.

It was akin to a death knell. It dredged up memories of years past that she worked to suppress. Everyone was the product of their life experiences, and she was not special just because hers had sucked for the majority of her childhood.

She waited until they were just inside of the staff room, located off the main stairway, before dispensing with the false pleasantries.

"What is it, that you want?"

The response was not what she expected.

"You're mine."

The first words he breathes as soon as they are alone, and they caused Izuku to close her eyes against the tidal wave of tired emotion that rose within her.

She refused to turn back toward him, as her feelings briefly played across her face, before she schooled it to back into neutrality.

"I was." It was a statement, lacking any heat or expression.

A ferocious growl met her words, she could already picture the way his teeth would be grit and how his eyebrows would be furrowed. She'd witnessed it for years.

"Take a god-damned look in the mirror," he snarled the rising scent of Alpha wafted between them. "That is my bite mark on your skin."

Midoriya took a breath, and slowly exhaled.

"It is." She confirmed wearily.

The truth was that she had envisioned this many a time over the years. Dreams that had driven her to near madness once. Dreams that were now things she had cast out, because a dream was never reality. Now the line was blurring and it was not what she wanted. At. All.

Tokoyami's face flashed briefly before her mind's eye, and she fought a shudder as her body was clamoring for a male that had long since lost her heart. Her nature and biology were clearly not in-sync with her worldly memories.

She could almost feel him tremble, as the anger grew thicker in his scent, an nearly overpowering smell that made her Omega nature still. Bakugou was an angry Alpha by nature. It was partly the reason she had always passively allowed his behavior.

That, and he still remained her true mate. The one destined for her. However, she believed now, that such things that worked out were lovely and wonderful. Then there were the ones like her. The ones that even fate could not help.

"When were you going to say something, shitty-Deku?!" He demanded. His voice was so loud that it was nearly deafening, even in the larger room.

She blinked at him, unconcerned by his outburst. Slowly, she turned toward him them. Her face was a perfect, expressionless mask.

"Say, what?" She asked, slightly confused by his meaning.

In the florescent office lights, his crimson eyes seemed to glow and smolder. Izuku had known quite a lot about Katsuki, once upon a time. However, it had been a few years since then, and the Alpha standing before her now, was a contradiction to his scent. He smelled absolutely livid, but he looked…. _lost._

His teeth were bared, and he was nearly snapping at the air.

"When where you going to tell me, that we were mates?"

It sucked the very air from her lungs, such a simple question. She stared at him, waiting for him to start laughing. Because, _clearly_ , this was some sort of messed-up joke. Her silence seemed to grate on his nerves.

"Well?!" He exploded, closing the distance between them.

Her position did not change, she continued to stare at him, dumbstruck.

 _"Deku,"_ He snarled.

"What do you mean," She said slowly with her eyes narrowing at him, "'tell' you?"

Crimson orbs glared down at her, equally as fierce.

"When. Were. You. Going. To. Tell. Me?" He stressed, hands clenched at his sides, his scent radiating confusion, and disbelief that intermingled with the fury.

She searched his face, finding no trace of deception. It left a hollow feeling in her stomach, as if the bottom had somehow just dropped to the soles of her feet.

"You...," she started, her voice merely a whisper above her heartbeat. Unsteady as that was, as they were like this. "Y-you didn't _know?"_

Then it set of a sudden flash of white-hot rage in her. All the heats where she'd cried out for him, all the days she'd sobbed on her living room floor because of his cruelty. The constant barrage of self-doubt and self-hate because of his rejection… and he… what? _He didn't know?!_

"Of course, I didn't fucking know!" He roared, and she could hear the others, upstairs, move around, likely coming up with an excuse to see what was going on. Izuku glared as the first Hero started down the steps. He abruptly took one look at her face, then Bakugou's face, and turned right back around.

Clever man.

"How," she seethed at him, green eyes blazing as she grit her own teeth. "Could you _not_ know?"

He blinked at her, trying to put the words to thoughts, but having difficulty because she'd never acted like this with him before, without someone's life on the line.

"I forgot, okay?" He admitted, with a nearly deflated sense of quiet contemplation about him.

"Forgot?" She parroted back, mouth slightly agape.

Her Omega nature reared to the forefront, and she suddenly shoved him hard with her shoulder. A display of extreme distrust. Katsuki's eyes flashed briefly.

"How the _hell_ ," The Omega snarled out, "did you _forget?!"_

"Oh, for crying out fucking loud," he sighed heavily, crowding in on her once more. "We were kids. It's no wonder I- "

She could not hear the rest of what he said, for the blood rushing to her ears. The sound drowned out anything he might have explained. She could not believe it. Could not believe him. The hurt welled up inside of her, stronger than it had been in years.

"You...- "

Her soft word caused him to pause, as he blinked down at her.

"You are my true mate," her voice was small, and utterly wounded. "How could you simply forget?"

The Alpha before her began to rumble lowly in his chest, a soothing sound. One meant to comfort her, but it did nothing to ease her sudden distress.

They stared at one another for a silent heartbeat. His expression melted into one of stark honesty, and the anger was gone. Washed away and they both felt as if they were years older than they were. Weary and forsaken.

Slowly, his hand came to her hair, and he brushed it back. It was a tentative touch, one asking for permission. When Izuku did not pull away, he trailed his fingertips down her face. An intimate gesture for an Alpha.

So unlike Katsuki, in her mind. It hardly registered at all.

"I was just a kid," he said softly, searching her eyes, "and only Omega's can identify true mates."

What he said was correct, she already knew that. However, she'd always believed that he had known. She'd been convinced that Kaa-chan, no that _Bakugou_ , had known and rejected her anyway. That he had left her to a life of abandonment and shame.

No. No she could not… could not accept that _…. He hadn't._

"Bullshit." Midoriya said in disbelief, and a small amount of worry was working into her scent.

Katsuki did not take kindly to her comment.

"It's not bullshit."

Her heart quivered and she felt an odd sensation of mental panic. Not fear. Never fear.

His hands slammed on either side of her. His teeth were bared, a low growl emanated from his chest. Izuku refused to submit to him, not like this. She wasn't afraid of Katsuki Bakugou anymore. They'd fought out their differences years ago.

So…why….?

 _Why did he have to come storming back into her life now?_

Why did he have to _care_ now?

Her feelings were clawing inside of her. Her stomach felt twisted and bitter. Sour. Her expression morphed into one that was not quite so composed. It wasn't a face she showed on the battle field. It wasn't the face she showed to her friends.

It was a face only Tokoyami had seen recently.

"You're mine!"

"I _was_ ," she hissed back, her teeth nearly clacking as she made a move to bite him. The blonde Alpha reared back slightly. Her body felt stiff and no part of her was accepting of his closeness now.

Crimson eyes flashed against a raging green.

"For fuck's sake Deku." He swore with a narrowing of his gaze on her body language. She could smell the heavy scent of anger, hurt, and surprise.

It was the hurt that caused her to swallow, nearly inaudibly. Confusion took the place of some of her ire. It filled the cracks where mindless anger could not reach. It was a weakness of hers, as her mind took in all of him. She could see the way his posture was held rigidly, and how his expression was as closed off as hers was open.

" _Why_ didn't you come to _me?"_ He asked, a raw note of vulnerability buried beneath the commonplace aggression.

Her chest felt suddenly tight, and she turned her head from him. Part of it was instinct to keep this from escalating any further, and partly because she was unable to deal with his sudden change in demeanor.

Before All Might, she would have been in tears now. Her heart would have been crying out to go to Katsuki and rub against him. To submit and hope that he would adore her one day. However, that dream had died a very long time ago.

She shook her head, at the fleeting thought, as serious as Bakugou was, she was equally as filled with questions of 'why'?

"How could I?" She countered, instead.

His face was inches from her neck, and she could feel the heat of him. However, the worst that he did was inhale her scent. Far more deeply than was socially acceptable. He was attempting to act as a mate, and that left Izuku at a loss.

"What do you mean?" His voice was gravelly, and there was a hard edge to it. "What do you mean, by 'How could I'? I was never- "

Her eyes were unforgiving as the scorn danced around in them. They flickered like the dying embers of a mate-ship that had been doomed before it really began.

"You told me that you didn't want me! You abandoned me!" She shouted, startling them both. Her chest heaved as she fought for control. Fought for a feeling beyond suffocation at this revelation.

The blonde hero went unnaturally still at her words.

"I did not! For fuck's sake!" He shouted back at her. "I was five!"

"Six!"

"For fuck' sake, I was six!" He corrected, laboring to keep from grabbing her.

A broken look wormed its way into his eyes, and Midoriya froze.

"I'm a bastard about _a lot_ of things," he admitted without reservation. "I know that, okay? But I am not a bad Alpha. I'm a fucking great Alpha, and I never, _never_ would have abandoned you."

Her expression betrayed that she did not trust his words.

He leaned his forehead against hers, and she tried to turn her head, but butted his against hers again. An Alpha demanding her attention, her full attention. _Her Alph-_

No.

No, she had a Beta now.

"Be mad at me for everything I did wrong." He said sincerely. "Make me earn back your trust for being a dick-wad when we were kids. Fine. I'll claw my way back into your heart for trying to crush your dreams as teenagers. But, I did not abandon you. I just… forgot."

Her eyes prickled with tears, and she would die a thousand deaths before she shed them in front of Katsuki.

The scent of heartache and sadness were all she could smell. His face looked so determined that her breath caught in her throat, and she continued to wait. She could sense that there was more he wanted to say.

"I was six," he repeated. "I didn't know everything there was to know about being an Alpha. Just as you didn't know all there was to being an Omega."

His words were true, but they stung none the less. He was forcing her to see something that she didn't wish to see.

That maybe, she'd been the one partially in the wrong.

"I was a hot-tempered little shit, and that hasn't changed much." His fingers found their way to grasp her chin, softly. Nearly tenderly.

"But you can't hate me," there was something about his firm statement that almost sounded like pleading to Izuku. "You can't hate me for being 'six', and not understanding."

Her head tipped forward, touching his shoulder. She wasn't even aware she was doing so, encouraging the contact, until his chest rumbled again and slight amount of relief trickled into his scent.

The Omega stiffened, and moved away.

"You and me," Bakugou said with his usual arrogance returning briefly. "We are mates. And, starting tonight, I _am_ your _Alpha."_

There was a flutter of utter remorse in her heart. Izuku drew a ragged breath, realizing that she was about to crush the look of almost happiness on his face. The slight smirk would disappear and they would part ways again.

Only, this time, it would forever be her fault.

"I-I can't."

Crimson eyes flashed at the challenge, hardening before her very eyes. She tilted her head down, a sense of shame welled up inside of her. However, she squashed it down, but avoided his gaze.

"I've started courting with someone else."

His face neared hers, so close that she could feel his heat, and the scent of his skin was almost too much.

"I know about the _Beta_." He stated nearly coldly. "But you're still mine, and I won't stand in line behind some sneaky mate-stealing fucker.

Her head snapped up and she bared her teeth at him again.

" _Tokoyami_ isn't a mate stealer! And, I haven't agreed to anything, we still-"

There was a savage look about Bakugou at her statement, one that nearly chilled her to the core, but sent her Omega instincts into overdrive. The wicked smile that pulled at his lips, and the way his red eyes glowed, stole her breath away.

" _Tokoyami?"_ He purred in homicidal intent.

The Omega's face paled. Challenging an Alpha over a mate, was a very silly thing to do. And, Bakugou had, by society's rules, been challenged.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author claims no rights to Hero Academia or any affiliated licenses.**

 **To Guest, I don't really do requests much anymore. In fact, I am a scarce updater as of late. With this lull in my schedule being the exception. I am trying, but finding that writer's block is preventing me from finishing a few of my stories. However, toss the idea out and maybe I can try to fulfill it for you.**

 **Warnings! Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics. True Mate arc. GenderBent!Izukux Bakugo. Starting Fem!IzukuxTokoyami**

OoOoOo

The only thought that came to her mind, was one simple word. A word that had only four letters. One that really shouldn't be said aloud as often as Bakugou seemed to say it. The same word that was repeating in her head like a litany against the sudden concern welling in her chest.

She had to warn Fumikage, and she had to warn him _now._

The heady scent of Katsuki clung to her skin, though they had hardly touched all that much, her head pounded as it rallied the Omega's instincts to the front. The new 'Symbol of Hope' swallowed quietly, as she fumbled for her phone from her pocket. It still held the All-might charm she'd gotten long ago. It was worn and cracked at the edges. His hair was no longer a sunny gold, from repeated abuse of being stuffed in and out of pockets.

However, it never mattered to Izuku. It was a precious trinket, and one that reminded her plainly of her former mentor. She bit the inside of her cheek, stifling the familiar swell of stale pain that emanated from thinking about his passing over long.

She was alive. And he had died as he had lived. A _Hero._

It was not unexpected, nor far-fetched. Izuku had known and still knew all the dangers of doning her mantle as 'Deku'.

Abruptly her thoughts spun again, as Katsuki slapped the phone from her hand. It clattered to the floor, and skidded to a halt. Her emerald gaze stared a moment as the now cracked screen seemed to jeer at her mockingly.

She frowned at the sight of it.

She could hear the low rattle from the Alpha's chest at her actions.

"Your first thought was to call him?"

"Actually," she replied in a nearly blasé tone of voice, "my first thought was 'shit'."

Blazing crimson orbs stared at her, and his lips twitched upward into a smile of amusement, before he hid it quickly.

"Yeah, he is in deep shit." The Explosion hero promised with cold and hard edge to his words.

Her eyes cut toward his with an intensity that was nearly startling to them both.

'You _won't_ touch him." Omega or not, Izuku was ready to take this strange dominance battle into an all-out fight, if this slippery slope caused them to crash once more.

The message was meant to be threatening. To define the boundaries between them, but it did not quite do that. Her scent was a heavy mixture of concern, worry, displeasure, and an embarrassing amount of excitement.

Excitement… it was not something she was proud of, but had long since accepted that the thought of any sort of fighting screamed against her nerves and shook her to her core. It was partly due to her secondary nature, and because she was a Hero. On the front lines is where she felt the most alive.

Red was all she saw, not the red that came from rage or a moment of blinding instinct, but the red of his gaze as he watched her intently.

"Why? Did you bond with the Beta?" The question was soft. However, his tone was so aggressive that she narrowed her eyes once more out of reflex.

However, his sheer unmitigated gall to ask her such a thing, caused her to come up short.

"What?"

Katsuki drew to his full height, and he stared down at her, his Alpha nature was undeniable. However, he did not as impress her as he once had. Then again, the whole ordeal had presented her with the unhappy realization that what she had assumed about Bakugou was incorrect.

Or, so he said.

The lines of his features were harsh, and she could see his intent clearly. Instead of allowing him to crowd her again, Izuku stepped to the side. Her posture was defensive.

"Did you…" he repeated as he circled around quickly, nearly stalking after her as she moved another few feet back, "fuck him?"

Her eyes widened, and she fought the blush that threatened to spill over her cheeks. She moved her left leg back, ready to either flee or attack depending of his movements. Her emerald eyes watched him with a hawkish quality of uncertainty, and it flooded the space between them. Her scent also betrayed her rush of confusion.

"First, it is not your business." She denied hotly.

A flush appeared on her face when his eyes slowly moved up and down her body.

"We are mates, it is my damn business."

She growled lowly in frustration, as the mounting confusion churned inside her over his strange behavior. This was Katsuki Bakugou, and yes, he had a reputation for being a bit intense. However, their interaction was a whole new level.

It was almost as if he were seriously trying to get her to acquiesce.

"What could _that_ possibly matter to you?" She asked, unable to hide her bewilderment at the ill-suppressed anxiety that was clouding his features.

He shook his head, as he bared his teeth again. He did not bother to explain, nor to answer her, as he butted his forehead to hers again. To force her attention onto him, as if she could possibly be looking anywhere else. His cheek rubbed against hers in one quick swipe.

It was almost as if he were _attempting_ to calm himself with her scent. Izuku forced the strange feeling in her chest away. It burned. She froze as she blinked at him.

"It matters," he stated gutturally. "You _know_ it fucking matters."

Izuku scoffed at him.

"That's a little _too_ hypocritical, coming from an Alpha that slept several Betas and Omegas." Her chin tilted up defiantly, and her emerald eyes narrowed. The bitter, sour, and lingering note of jealousy was something that she could not quite put aside.

She knew, simply _knew_ , down to her bones the moment she said the words, that it had been an error on her part. Katsuki's gaze was nearly glowing as he held hers.

"You kept tabs on my sex life?" His face drew closer toward hers. "What a perverted fucking-Deku. Have you been keeping pace with that shit-for-brains, Mineta?

There was an undercurrent of teasing in his tone, and Midoryia bristled at it being there. She was not a pervert! He could sleep with a legion of Betas and Omegas. What did she care?

The slightest twinge in her heart, at the mere thought of him with another, was thoroughly ignored.

"I didn't keep tabs," she hissed back, feeling mortified, trying to make a distance between them once more. "I don't _care_ \- "

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Don't say that."

Her nostrils flared as she quivered with anger and slight shame. It had been years! She was complexly over him by now. Even if they were true mates. So, what if he was the only Alpha for her? She had a Beta. And, Tokoyami's gentle strength and seriousness was exactly what she needed.

The Beta had been so kind to her. She felt the first stirrings of a want for a real bond. Not one that was broken and neglected. Izuku had all but given up on ever having one, until a few nights ago. Tokoyami wanted her, even if she was abandoned.

However, not she was coming to terms and trying to process _not_ being abandoned.

"Don't say you don't care."

She huffed angrily, unconsciously reacting to the Alpha's tone that he used with her. Had she been able to delve into Katsuki's mind as her quirk, she would have known that it had been unintentional on his part.

It was too easy, for true mates, to fall into their secondary roles without even noticing. Part of her was half-furious that she felt a _need_ to answer him. The other part of her was spinning in circles as her mind flurried with activity and thoughts.

Her nature won out, as it was prone to do in some regards, when faced with the male that had once been her Alpha. _Was_ her Alpha? No, the hurt was still a gaping chasm in her heart. She would not accept him so easily. She would not tolerate this much longer.

"No," the Omega hero admitted, refusing to be overly cowed or forced into submission. "We haven't been together like _that."_

He relaxed, almost instantly, only to tense up again. Her embarrassment and the disturbance to their unspoken routine of avoidance, had her hackles up.

"Stay away from him."

"I will not."

Bakugou looked murderous, and Izuku did not feel far behind.

"What do you _want_?" She asked, nearly desperately, after a moment. "Seriously, what do you want from me?"

The question was an honest one, and it took the wind out of the Alpha's sails in an instant.

His crimson gaze was perfectly serious as stared at her. There was no anger or confusion on his face. The scent of determination and resolve flooded her nose, and on any other day, she would almost think he was going off to save a dozen people.

 _"You."_

Her heart, treacherous and easily able to recall her teenage days, made a painful beat in her chest.

"I just want you."

She could hardly argue with Kaa-, _no_ … Bakugou's, pure and simple statement. A moment of helplessness swirled around her. She could fight a dozen or so villains. Survive a thousand types of quirks and blows. But, when faced with the explosive Alpha's intentions, she found herself floundering.

"I can't." She repeated, denying anything between them, and she ran a hand through her curly locks. "I've told you- "

"You're my mate." He stated calmly. Which unnerved her even more. It was rare, _exceedingly_ rare, for him to be so calm. Especially when facing any sort of rejection.

She blinked at him, and there was still no way to avoid the truth shining intensely from his eyes.

"I _was."_

"You _are."_

"Stop this…Damn you," Izuku swore softly. The bitter sting of emotions weighed upon her as she swallowed thickly.

He gave a soft huff of laughter.

"You aren't the first to say that to me," he nearly boasted proudly.

She almost didn't feel the eyeroll that accompanied the expected joke. His cheek was rubbing against hers again. Izuku paid it no attention, the scents between them became more at ease and nearly bordered on affectionate. A familiarity between them that had been lost to time, after she turned six.

"I'm not agreeing to a single thing," she stated firmly, moving away from the maddening touch of his skin. It made it burn, where he touched. Her chest ached.

"I _have_ a Beta." The Omega stressed the secondary nature of Tokoyami.

Well, it was mostly true. She and Fumikage were not that far along in their relationship. By the traditional way of thinking.

"No, you're starting to court that _mate-stealing_ _shit-stain_. And, that stupid shit ends today. You hear me?"

She growled at him. How dare he? He had no right to command any part of her life. Izuku shoved at his shoulder roughly, signaling how unhappy she was and how much she didn't trust this.

Bakugou's chest rumbled, a noise meant to ease her ire. Izuku would never admit that it was working, and she couldn't stop how her heart was hammering in her chest.

OoOoOo

It took her literally shoving him out of her agency, for him to leave. She'd snarled and hissed, earning his amusement, and darkening her mood further.

She shut herself in her office, the moment he was gone. Trying her best to shake the sudden surge of feelings that left her bereft of any comfort.

 _Tokoyami._ A smart, fiercely loyal Beta. A quiet and serious man who had never truly harmed Izuku in any way. Someone who wanted her, irrespective of her past.

 _Bakugou._ The Alpha who made it his life's mission at a young age to torment her. Also, fiercely loyal, and intelligent. Second to none in active combat skills. Her True mate (though she was not really considering that to be a positive now), and one that was now claiming he had _not_ abandoned her. Despite her previous assumptions, he had behaved in a decent way toward her.

For an _Alpha_ ….

She shook herself roughly, pulling herself back to a semblance of control, and it flashed through her that she needed to call her Beta and warn him. She had to, because knowing Katsuki, he was not going to take any of this lying down. If his territorial display from before was to be believed.

Was it some perverse form of destroying her life?

She doubted it. She _wanted_ to doubt it. For all his faults, he wasn't as awful as all that. Even at his worst, he had never once used their statuses against her. Clearly, he hadn't remembered, but he also had never heckled her for being an Omega. Quirkless, weak, and utterly normal in every way.

Which was somehow a _bad_ thing to Katsuki, but never once had he taunted her for her secondary nature.

She could recall a dozen different times, when he was extremely respectful (for him) towards the Omegas in their classes. It just had never seemed to translate to Izuku herself.

The phone was ringing, before she realized she had dialed anything at all.

" _Tokoyami_ ," the curt reply came. It was utterly serious, just like the user of 'Dark Shadow' himself.

"Beta," she said in a slight rush, as relief flooded through her.

There was a muffled series of voices in the background, and she attempted to place where he was.

"Izuku," he replied, and she could hear the warm affection in his voice. It was enough to make her want to melt into her chair.

"Are you okay?" A standard question, but one that was needed to gauge if he had run into a blond and explosive Alpha.

The soft chuffing noise he had made, reverberated through the phone.

"I am much better now, that I am speaking with you."

The corners of her mouth twitched up into a smile, and her emerald gaze landed on the floor, as she leaned back in her chair. A noise of appreciation echoed his sentiment from her own throat.

"I'm sorry to bother you at work."

"It's never a problem, I always have time for you."

For a moment, Izuku could feel the warmth of his dark embrace, and the sensation of him grooming her hair slightly. It brought her a sense of comfort and nostalgia from when Uraraka had done the same back at the Academy.

"Thank you, but, there is something I need to tell you."

Her tone took a hard edge to it, and she cursed her treacherous body for reacting to the scent of Bakugou that clung to her skin. He'd rubbed his scent in gently, not fully taking away Fumikage's. However, it had dulled the Beta's significantly.

"What's wrong?"

She could hear the way his tone shifted. He was instantly more alert, and Izuku attempted not to spill the day's events in a rush.

"…The Alpha I told you about?"

Silence met her open-ended question, until Fumikage realized he was expected to prompt her.

"Yes?"

"He came to my work today," Izuku stated, gently, as if she hoped to ease the blow for the Beta.

And, there, in the quiet room of her office, The Hero Deku, told him about her true mate. The one that had once been her Alpha.

Katsuki Bakugou.

The conversation lasted an hour, with Tokoyami listening to her tale patiently. When it had, at last, reached its end, he spoke.

"I appreciate you telling me," he stated sincerely.

She bit her lip nervously, where no one could see her. The Omega hero was, indeed, nervous.

"Yeah... I told you, because I think he might attempt to fight you."

Silence met her statement.

"Fumikage?"

"He will have to wait until Thursday, I am busy this week with previous commitments."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author claims no rights to Hero Academia or any affiliated licenses.**

OoOoOo

By the time she made it home, the world was quiet.

There is a restlessness about her this night. Izuku could only stare out her window at the twinkling lights of the city. In her heart, she wonders, but will never admit, what might have been. What her life would have looked like had Katsuki never left her behind? Only now, there was the burning desire to know if his words were the truth or merely just for show.

Granted, despite his bravado and cockiness, Bakugou had never been the sort to say things he did not mean. Which was partially why his rejection at such a tender age had wounded her so deeply. It had left a scar upon her heart the way his bite still adorned her neck. She pressed her forehead to the glass pane. The coolness of the hard surface did little to take away the nearly feverish feel of her skin.

Emerald eyes closed slowly, allowing the darkness to embrace her in a sort of mock-peace. However it did not last. The moment she opened her eyes again, her thoughts were whirling with Fumikage and Katsuki. On the one hand, Fumikage was willing to take her despite being abandoned.

Bakugou claimed that he had never abandoned her.

Yet, if Katsuki had _truly_ forgotten about their mating and subsequent falling out-

If that was how he saw the events between them, as something a child could be forgiven for, then she was bereft of the bitter resentment that had started to seep into her bones about her True mate. She had always wished him well, and secretly she still wanted him. How could she not? He was the one for her. She shouldn't have been able to recognize her true mate at five. Briefly, she had spoken of it with her Omega Pediatrician. Back when she was a small girl. The one that had looked after her well being since her birth. The same aged woman with lines of silver in her hair, and a nest of crows feet that crinkled about her eyes.

The one that had told Izuku about the benefit of not being born with a quirk.

Because her body was not forced to expend energy to grow and mature her quirk, she was able as an omega to sense her true mate much faster. It also allowed her Omega nature to mature before others like her that possessed a quirk. As a result,s he'd been put n suppressants at nine, while others did not start until thirteen. Perhaps that was why she had never forgotten Bakugou's status as her True mate.

It was, she would later figure out, the reason she trailed after him. Helpless to resist the pull of the Alpha. Even though neither of them had presented yet. Maybe, she really was a cursed being. To know, with absolute certainty, that he was perfect for her. And, then to be rejected by that same person...

It had driven her nearly to the brink of madness.

Kaa-chan hadn't pulled away all at once. Perhaps that sharp sort of severance would have been easier to forgive. But, no, life had not been so kind. His crimson eyes, the ones she had lovingly gazed into after their bonding, had slowly began to fill with disgust and dislike. Then, when the Alphas of her school had finally started presenting, dislike had turned to hate. In the Hero Academy, hate had turned to disinterest.

Disinterest had hurt her far more than his hatred ever could have.

By their second year, or perhaps it was their third, they hardly even spoke to one another. Izuku brushed away the bitter tears of disappointment and sorrow every time she had chased after him. It wasn't until All Might, and her gifted quirk of One-for-all, that she stopped chasing after Katsuki Bakugou. The Omega had resigned herself to her fate after that.

When even having a quirk, had not made him want her.

Her mother knew, years after the fact, that Izuku was mated to an Alpha. One particularly vicious heat, and a lack of suppressant from over training, had blown the carefully concealed fact out of the water. But shame and resentment prevented her from telling her Mother the identity of the Alpha. She lied that day, when directly asked (avoiding her mother's worried gaze as shame clenched at her heart), that it was some Alpha she couldn't remember.

How ironic it all seemed now. To have lied about not remembering, and to have been forgotten herself.

If that was what had actually happened with Bakugou. Midoriya simply did not know what to do, or how to act. There was every reason in the world to, and not to, trust him. He was a hero, just as she was. And, he had proven that he could be trusted with her life

...But... could he be trusted with her _heart?_

The Omega, the New Symbol of Hope, and ever optimistic (according to her peers) hero Deku... was afraid. Afraid of being hurt again by someone that had once held her heart in the palm of his hands.

Her mother had told her, quite seriously, and with tears in her eyes, to take another Alpha. It was a thought she'd had herself a time or two. Watching the other Betas and Omegas with their Alphas. Seeing what she wanted but could never have in Katsuki. Izuku had tried, just to even think about letting another Alpha have her. But it made her sick to her stomach, and she had ended up heaving her entire breakfast into the bathroom. The salty and sour taste of vomit revealed the truth she already knew. An Alpha besides Katsuki was _impossible._

And, though she had formed close relationships with others, friendships that lasted beyond the threats of doom. Shed never been able to let a more dominant second nature near her, until Fumikage. It was a fear of further rejection, and also due to the sense Alpha's possessed. Somehow, they all instinctually _knew_ that Izuku could not be a true mate to them. Only Omegas could tell their true mates who they were. However, the Alphas sensed that Izuku was taken and never pursued anything.

She'd tried, briefly, to give off signs of availability for one Beta. A boy from her middle school, the very last year, but it had ended badly. He'd taken one look at her mate-mark and bolted from her as fast as he could.

They were young, she could understand that.

So, it pained her to think that perhaps Bakugou deserved as much forgiveness as she was so willing to give others. Izuku found it to be a bitter pill to swallow. Could she honestly keep this maelstrom of feelings and past events against the reasoning of a six-year-old Katsuki? Was he any worse than she at six for being so dead-set on them being a fated pair?

She finally removed her forehead from the glass, groaning slightly as her skin stuck a bit to the surface. She eyed the smudge left behind critically. Now she was going to have to clean the window. But seeing it made her think of her past with Bakugou. Katsuki... was... impossible not to see. She'd spent years attempting to get over him, and still, like the glass, she could see how he impacted her. Easily.

The memories of a happier time, spilled forth, as Midoryia reached for the nightstand drawer and pulled out some suppressants. The feverish feeling was growing worse, as it always did when thinking of Katsuki. No, when she thought of _Kaa-chan_. The Kaa-chan from her younger days.

 _It's a sting that makes her eyes water, and she whimpers. Her small hands push feebly against his chest, but the blonde boy in front of her stays latched onto her neck. It is not the act that has her upset, because she wants to be with Kaa-chan forever. It's the pain she doesn't like._

 _It hurts._

 _Something warm flows, and the whimpers become more frequent, as if she hoped to placate the pain itself. However, just as the worst of it comes, she feels something inside of her twitch. Like a dream, where one slowly floats to awareness. Some part of her purrs in excitement and absolute happiness._

 _Kaa-chan is everything._ _Kai-chan is her mate._

 _As if he could hear her thoughts, the boy pulls back. A small amount of crimson liquid drips from his mouth, and she notices that it matches the red of his eyes. That other part of her, loves him even more. Her lip trembles, and her neck stings, but Izuku can only cry from happiness._

 _"Quit crying," the boy grumped at her, wiping his mouth off, and leaving a steak of red across his arm. "You're mine now."_

 _She moved forward, hugging Kaa-chan with all of her might. And, she felt the safest when his arms curled around her, in a protective gesture._

 _"Always?"_

 _"Always," he confirmed with a soft rumble in his chest. One that made her feel peaceful and content. The pain didn't matter anymore. His arms tightened around her, much stronger than before and Izuku looked up. His crimson eyes were nearly glowing._

 _"I'm gonna get a quirk, and I'm gonna be a hero," Kaa-chan said with determination. "I'm gonna be the best hero, so you'd better be the best mate to me."_

 _She smiled at him brightly, feeling her heart swell._

 _"I will be. The best mate for you," she promised with all her innocent heart and soul._

 _His messy blonde hair moved, as he lowered his head, resting his chin on top of her head._

 _" **Mine."**_

The memory of his statement, and the way his young face had said it merged with the passionate declarations of the Bakugou she knew now. His more rugged features, and the same crimson eyes.

Izuku jumped, feeling her heart race. She was sweating profusely, and clutching at the front of her suit in desperation. Her thoughts jumbled, and then came back into stark clarity.

 _Heat._

She groaned out loud. as the familiar ache started. Worming into her middle until it was undeniable. She knew in an instant, that she had taken her suppressants too late or that they were out of date. Izuku hadn't thought she would need them. It had been three years since her last heat. Her training was so intense that she often skipped them, even in the beginning. They had spaced out more and more as she fought, was injured, and exposed to countless dangers. In short, Izuku lived with a great deal of stress. As every pro-hero did.

The stress, exercise, and lack of a mate had lulled her secondary nature into a sort of slumber.

But tonight, his scent clung to her skin as did Fumikage's. Two males that _could_ be mates to her. Two chances for something more, had awoken the more feral side of Midoriya. Shaking hands tore at her clothing, attempting to remove it. It made her skin feel far too tight. Emerald eyes were glassy and she felt a desperate compulsion to mate.

Mentally, she attempted to fight back against the sudden surge. She had no mate. There was no one. _No one._

With that last desperate realization, the Omega collapsed to the floor and gave herself over to the burning heat.

OoOoOo

'Explosion King', Alpha, Katsuki Bakugou, was a man on a mission.

Both literally and figuratively.

It had been four days since anyone had seen Deku, himself included. Four days since anyone had been able to even get a hold of her. Three days since he had called out the Beta Fumikage Tokoyami, and challenged him for chasing after his mate. Two days, since the shadow bastard had agreed. And, one day, just one measly day, since his Alpha instincts had set him entirely on edge and his need to see Deku had sky-rocketed to new heights.

And his damn Omega was no where to be found.

She wasn't with the Beta, he'd stormed into Tokoyami's office with fury blazing form his eyes. The mate-stealing shit, had the audacity to state that he wouldn't give up on Katsuki's mate. The Alpha had reigned himself in, and not sent the office into outer orbit with one of his explosions, long enough to state himself as Izuku's Alpha.

It had caused a bit of a stir in the agencies, but Bakugou didn't give a damn about that shit. What he said was true, and toward the end of their conversation, Midoryia had been giving Omega signals of trust. Her scent had been confused, but full of hope, an near affection at one point. She wanted him as well, he could tell (or maybe he was fooling himself) but he'd promised her he would earn her trust back. He would earn that deep love she'd held for him as a child, back.

He _needed_ her back.

Bakugou would never admit to anyone, other than Deku, that he had loved her for ages. He'd wanted her for ages. However, she'd always smelled of Alpha since her quirk. Perhaps that was part of it? Part of the reason he'd been so aggressive toward her at the academy. He had been upset and wanted to punish her for being unable to _have_ her.

It was stupid shit. He'd always done stupid shit. But, he was her Alpha and he would show her that she could trust him.

He stalked toward her home, the address was not far from her mother's. The place they'd grown up at. The one that he walked by sometimes, unable to tear his gaze away from the spot by the swings where he'd bitten Izuku. The harder he tried to recall it, the more he began to remember.

He wasn't so good with the emotional bullshit, but he could be a touch sentimental, when the mood struck him. The coat he'd worn when he spoke to her last, still smelled like her, and so he hadn't washed it yet. It calmed him down, when she would't answer any of his calls. Either to her private line or the agency provided phone.

Lowly, he growled in chest, feeling a strange sort of anxiety flare up, and the need to be near his Omega intensified to the point of near pain. He raised his hand, ready to knock upon the door, when the smell hit him. Sweet, and ready. Beguiling and impossible to ignore.

It smelled of 'Omega' and 'heat'. His crimson eyes flashed, and he bared his teeth. His body, despite suppressants, was responding in the most natural of ways. He blinked, feeling slightly drunk on the scent, as he knocked.

Silence meet his non-verbal request to enter.

OoOoO

Inside the apartment, huddled on the floor as her body felt as if it were attempting to boil her at the same time it drove her to crying out at every slight movement, the Omega stilled at the sound of knocking. She dared not move, knowing that it could be some Alpha with impure intentions, a Villain, or worst of all...her mother.

She never wanted her mother to see her like this. Even if it was 'perfectly natural'.

Izuku remained silent, willing the intruder to leave.

"I know you're in there _mate._ " The rough voice of Katsuki penetrated her heat-fogged mind. She whimpered softly, not bothering to do more than exist.

A shuffling sound came from outside the front door, and her emerald eyes could only stare at it, waiting for what she as certain was the inevitable outcome.

OoOoOo

He could hear the whimpering, and it pierced through the haze of her scent. He had been a complete ass to Izuku in the past, but that damn delicious smelling fucking-deku, was his Omega. His mate. And, she was not ready for them to be more. Though their last interaction had given him a great deal of motivation and hope for a future where she did not reject him.

"Don't open the door," the explosive Alpha commanded.

As far as forcing their bond to renew, this was the most golden of opportunities, but he was a far better Alpha than that. Had she come to him, with her heat, he would have carried her to his bed. His crimson eyes would have watched her make everything to her liking, and then he would have claimed her entirely as his own. His teeth would have re-scarred the thin silver lines of his first bite, or encompassed it entirely. Either way, everyone would know she was his once more.

But, she hadn't come to him. Something that still hurt his Alpha side deeply. His Omega hadn't felt that she could come to him, given their past. Yet, he needed her with all he had. Now that he was aware of her, he would never willingly give her up. Never.

She had to believe him, and he was going to make her believe him. Come hell or any fucking villain that existed.

"I'll keep you safe" he crooned through he door, staring at the stark white paint with a bit of loathing, as he pictured her inside. There was the distant sounds of shifting, and he could hear her moving in the apartment. The scent of her grew stronger. So much stronger, and it had his hands trembling with a want to blowup the fucking door.

He wanted her, oh how he wanted her. But, if she would not come to him, and would not accept him, it would destroy him in the end. Izuku had to come to him willingly.

Not now, but one day, his Alpha side would be appeased with that. The hope for 'one day'.

"I fucking promise, okay?" The explosive blonde uttered, feeling his hackles rise as he scented the other Betas and Alphas in the streets nearby. Anyone was a threat to her, his mate.

"I won't let anyone force you, Omega," he said lowly, knowing she could hear.

 _Not even me._

 _OoOoOo_

She was pressed up against the door, emerald eyes filled with crystal tears that would not fall. Her hand was placed against the wood, as if she could touch him through it.

Her head was fogged, but clamoring. And for once, her heart echoed the sentiment.

 _Alpha._

She'd been convinced that he would do what he wanted. it was pure Bakugou, to a act that way. However, he'd continued to defy her expectations of him. It made her stomach clench with more than the pulsing need to mate. It was shame and disappointment. In herself, more than anyone.

Perhaps she truly had been unfair to Katsuki, in this regard. He was right, she thought sadly and with a bit of wisdom gained form her life experiences, he may have been awful in many ways to her, and there was much that they still had to work through before she could even really trust him again...

But...

And it was an exceedingly important 'but'...

... He was a great Alpha.

Her throat constricted and she blinked the tears away. Maybe she needed to really get to know Bakugou as he was now, not as who he had once been.

OoOoOo

True to his word, Katuski remained an ever watchful guardian over her apartment door. He planted himself by her door and refused to be moved. He kept his lonely vigil well after his voice mailbox was filled to the brim with calls demanding to know where he was. He ignored them. They didn't matter enough to pry him away from protecting his Deku.

The neighbor to the right came out, offering him food and drink. The old man knew exactly what he was doing, and Bakugou growled lowly every time the wizened man appeared. For he bore the stench of Alpha. Any Alpha was a threat to is mate in this state. He looked at the hero with knowing eyes, ad shoved the food into Bakugou's lap.

Soft whimpers occasionally made it through the silence, and Crimson orbs closed briefly against a reciprocating wave of need that washed over him.

On the second day, since taking his post, her voice floated through the door.

" _Kaa-chan_?"

He froze, feeling his heart race. He hadn't heard that stupid fucking nick-name from her lips in years. It left him feeling slightly hollow. _Years?_ Had it really been so long?

"I'm still here," he answered gruffly, feeling the need to comfort her, though he could smell the scent of relief that emanated from beneath the door.

And it made his chest swell with pride and longing, when she whispered a soft 'Thank you'.


End file.
